If you’re not thinking of everyone, you may as well have published for no one
What is website accessibility and why is it so important?
Website accessibility means creating an experience that everyone can enjoy. While we often think of accessibility as supporting people with disabilities or impairments, it’s also important to consider how factors like age, gender, race or specific needs impact the way people interact with you online. Web accessibility is one of the most important things you can do when designing your website, and with the help of some technology and navigation fixes, you can achieve a positive user experience and build a loyal online community.
Given that your website is often the first impression a potential customer will have of your business, it’s important to create a memorable experience. For users who may have a disability or impairment, websites are usually the most efficient way for them to interact with and buy from businesses (1). Creating an inclusive website expands beyond assisting and helping users living with impairments. Anyone can have specific needs when browsing or navigating a website, and your website design should take a large number of situations into consideration.
Disabilities or impairments that should be considered when designing your website include auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, visual, or speech. You should also think about other specific situations which may create accessibility issues with your site, such as people using small screens to view your site, people with slow internet or bandwidth, or people with temporary impairments or injuries (2).
Whatever the situation of your website user, every page on your site should be designed and coded in a way which makes it approachable, understandable, usable, and with simple navigation.
How website accessibility can improve your audience reach and revenues
Every customer can benefit from an accessible website. From those sitting in the glaring sun at a cafe, to those rushing to their next appointment while trying to purchase a new pair of shoes, to those who require captions in a video, users will remember how they felt when they interacted with your website. Give them a positive experience, and they will come back time and time again.
How you can make your website more accessible
Improving accessibility and inclusivity on your website can seem difficult, but there are some simple changes that you can make to improve your website right now. These are tips you can also apply as you share content across the internet, such as in your social media or digital marketing.
- Add ‘alt text’ to pictures and videos. Alt text is an important component of accessibility, and its primary purpose is to describe an image or video to website visitors who are unable to view them, either because they rely on screen readers, or even just have a poor internet connection.
- Add captions to your video content and create downloadable transcripts for pre-recorded audio content. It’s important to consider those who are hearing impaired or do not speak English as their first language when creating video content or podcasts. Adding captions to videos or creating audio transcripts allow everyone to enjoy your content – whether they have an impairment, are in a noisy environment, or need to watch on silent because their partner is asleep next to them.
- Create understandable links. Instead of using “here” as an anchor link, use clear, concise, understandable text that describes what users are clicking through to – for example, instead of writing “To make a booking click here”, with only “here” as the link, use the link for the full phrase “Make a booking”. This helps avoid confusion, especially on busy webpages, but longer anchor links are also easier to see.
- Improve the readability of your content. When writing for your website, make sure your content is easy to understand and avoid complex phrasing or jargon. This is helpful for a wide range of people, including users with reading impairments, people who don’t speak English as their first language, and people unfamiliar with your specific industry. Using headings and subheadings can also assist users to find the information they need.
With the help of a developer, you can make more advanced changes to improve your website’s accessibility:
- Improve the design and navigation of your website. One thing to consider when designing your website is site navigation and layout – how do people find what they’re looking for? How complicated are your menus? Keep the design minimalistic and simple, make sure important information is easy to find, and ensure content is laid out in a logical order.
- Improve the colour contrast of your website. Just because colours look pretty doesn’t mean they’re a good fit for your website. Consider those with low vision or colour blindness when choosing your colour scheme. How will the colours appear to different users? Is the text easy to read against the background colour? It’s important to ensure that anchor links are underlined in your content, instead of just highlighted in a different colour. Also think about the colour display of your site if it is viewed on mobile or in direct sunlight, as this will impact its readability and usability too.
- Design large buttons on your website. Call to action buttons are an important part of your website design and help you to convert users to customers. Form submit buttons and search navigation buttons can often be difficult to find if they have thin borders with a transparent background. Make sure they stand out amongst other content within your website.
- Optimise for mobile. The mobile version of your website should work just as well, if not better, than your desktop – your developer can help you achieve this.
- Let people customise the text size. While you may assume size 12 font is easy enough for your viewers to read, this may not be the case. Ask your developer to include a font size adjustment option in your website content.
- Include apps such as Google Translate. Ask your developer to optimise your website for application use. By including apps such as Google translate, those who do not speak English as their native language can still navigate your website. Also ensure your website is optimised to enable assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to be used.
- Test keyboard navigation. An important consideration to make in your website is to ensure it can be navigated using a keyboard alone. Ask your developer to test the left, right, up, down, tab, and enter keys. Also ensure that any pop up boxes on your website can be closed with a keyboard.
Take a moment to walk in someone else’s shoes, and consider their needs or situation when designing or updating your website. Creating an inclusive and accessible website will improve the user experience of your site and help to maximise your potential audience.
References:
- Alex Sixt, July 9, 2020, “Why your website needs to be accessible to everyone”, Entrepreneur, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/352766
- PopArt Studio, December 20, 2018, “Inclusive design: making websites accessible to everyone”, Medium, https://medium.com/nyc-design/inclusive-design-making-websites-accessible-to-everyone-e358a6d9b8b7
- Sami Keijonen, December 3, 2017, “Building an inclusive web: why accessibility matters”, Tutsplus, https://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/building-an-inclusive-web-why-accessibility-matters–cms-29773
Oliver Lindberg, March 23, 2018, “Inclusive design: 12 ways to design for everyone”, Shopify, https://www.shopify.com.au/partners/blog/inclusive-design
What is website accessibility and why is it so important?
Website accessibility means creating an experience that everyone can enjoy. While we often think of accessibility as supporting people with disabilities or impairments, it’s also important to consider how factors like age, gender, race or specific needs impact the way people interact with you online. Web accessibility is one of the most important things you can do when designing your website, and with the help of some technology and navigation fixes, you can achieve a positive user experience and build a loyal online community.
Given that your website is often the first impression a potential customer will have of your business, it’s important to create a memorable experience. For users who may have a disability or impairment, websites are usually the most efficient way for them to interact with and buy from businesses (1). Creating an inclusive website expands beyond assisting and helping users living with impairments. Anyone can have specific needs when browsing or navigating a website, and your website design should take a large number of situations into consideration.
Disabilities or impairments that should be considered when designing your website include auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, visual, or speech. You should also think about other specific situations which may create accessibility issues with your site, such as people using small screens to view your site, people with slow internet or bandwidth, or people with temporary impairments or injuries (2).
Whatever the situation of your website user, every page on your site should be designed and coded in a way which makes it approachable, understandable, usable, and with simple navigation.
How website accessibility can improve your audience reach and revenues
Every customer can benefit from an accessible website. From those sitting in the glaring sun at a cafe, to those rushing to their next appointment while trying to purchase a new pair of shoes, to those who require captions in a video, users will remember how they felt when they interacted with your website. Give them a positive experience, and they will come back time and time again.
How you can make your website more accessible
Improving accessibility and inclusivity on your website can seem difficult, but there are some simple changes that you can make to improve your website right now. These are tips you can also apply as you share content across the internet, such as in your social media or digital marketing.
- Add ‘alt text’ to pictures and videos. Alt text is an important component of accessibility, and its primary purpose is to describe an image or video to website visitors who are unable to view them, either because they rely on screen readers, or even just have a poor internet connection.
- Add captions to your video content and create downloadable transcripts for pre-recorded audio content. It’s important to consider those who are hearing impaired or do not speak English as their first language when creating video content or podcasts. Adding captions to videos or creating audio transcripts allow everyone to enjoy your content – whether they have an impairment, are in a noisy environment, or need to watch on silent because their partner is asleep next to them.
- Create understandable links. Instead of using “here” as an anchor link, use clear, concise, understandable text that describes what users are clicking through to – for example, instead of writing “To make a booking click here”, with only “here” as the link, use the link for the full phrase “Make a booking”. This helps avoid confusion, especially on busy webpages, but longer anchor links are also easier to see.
- Improve the readability of your content. When writing for your website, make sure your content is easy to understand and avoid complex phrasing or jargon. This is helpful for a wide range of people, including users with reading impairments, people who don’t speak English as their first language, and people unfamiliar with your specific industry. Using headings and subheadings can also assist users to find the information they need.
With the help of a developer, you can make more advanced changes to improve your website’s accessibility:
- Improve the design and navigation of your website. One thing to consider when designing your website is site navigation and layout – how do people find what they’re looking for? How complicated are your menus? Keep the design minimalistic and simple, make sure important information is easy to find, and ensure content is laid out in a logical order.
- Improve the colour contrast of your website. Just because colours look pretty doesn’t mean they’re a good fit for your website. Consider those with low vision or colour blindness when choosing your colour scheme. How will the colours appear to different users? Is the text easy to read against the background colour? It’s important to ensure that anchor links are underlined in your content, instead of just highlighted in a different colour. Also think about the colour display of your site if it is viewed on mobile or in direct sunlight, as this will impact its readability and usability too.
- Design large buttons on your website. Call to action buttons are an important part of your website design and help you to convert users to customers. Form submit buttons and search navigation buttons can often be difficult to find if they have thin borders with a transparent background. Make sure they stand out amongst other content within your website.
- Optimise for mobile. The mobile version of your website should work just as well, if not better, than your desktop – your developer can help you achieve this.
- Let people customise the text size. While you may assume size 12 font is easy enough for your viewers to read, this may not be the case. Ask your developer to include a font size adjustment option in your website content.
- Include apps such as Google Translate. Ask your developer to optimise your website for application use. By including apps such as Google translate, those who do not speak English as their native language can still navigate your website. Also ensure your website is optimised to enable assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to be used.
- Test keyboard navigation. An important consideration to make in your website is to ensure it can be navigated using a keyboard alone. Ask your developer to test the left, right, up, down, tab, and enter keys. Also ensure that any pop up boxes on your website can be closed with a keyboard.
Take a moment to walk in someone else’s shoes, and consider their needs or situation when designing or updating your website. Creating an inclusive and accessible website will improve the user experience of your site and help to maximise your potential audience.
References:
- Alex Sixt, July 9, 2020, “Why your website needs to be accessible to everyone”, Entrepreneur, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/352766
- PopArt Studio, December 20, 2018, “Inclusive design: making websites accessible to everyone”, Medium, https://medium.com/nyc-design/inclusive-design-making-websites-accessible-to-everyone-e358a6d9b8b7
- Sami Keijonen, December 3, 2017, “Building an inclusive web: why accessibility matters”, Tutsplus, https://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/building-an-inclusive-web-why-accessibility-matters–cms-29773
Oliver Lindberg, March 23, 2018, “Inclusive design: 12 ways to design for everyone”, Shopify, https://www.shopify.com.au/partners/blog/inclusive-design